YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan --  

Airmen assigned to the 374th Maintenance Group, 730th Aircraft Mobility Squadron, 21st Special Operations Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and 21st Special Operations Squadron faced off in multiple maintenance-themed competitions during the Wrench Bender Rodeo at Yokota Air Base, Feb. 28. 

Teams from each squadron competed in events designed to test their maintenance skills.  Some of the games held at the rodeo included maintenance-themed charades, relay races, and the Tower of Tools game, where Airmen competed to build towers made of equipment they’d use during their daily work shifts. 

“It’s great to see everyone come together,” said U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Daiquan Baskin, 374th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron flying crew chief. “My favorite part of it all is how we all can unwind and be able to represent our unit during some friendly competition.”

The 374th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron ultimately claimed the 374th Maintenance Group Wrench Bender Award for 2025, accumulating the most points throughout all of the different games. 

Yokota’s  Wrench Bender Rodeo serves as a time to highlight the hard work of maintenance professionals at Yokota and as an opportunity for them to demonstrate their technical prowess and cohesion within their units. 

“It’s a nice morale booster for everyone,” Baskin said. “Maintenance can be some hard work, so it’s nice to show Airmen a time where we can just have fun.”